Reimagining transcultural identity: a case study of field experiences for international preservice teachers

Abstract

Around the world, over 5.3 million students were engaged in international education in 2017. In Australia, international students made a significant contribution to the country’s economy and its society. However, there is a paucity in theory and of empirical research on the effects of field experience on international preservice teachers (IPSTs). Addressing this gap, the paper contributes to an understanding of the changes to the identities of IPSTs engaged in field experiences. Drawing on a single case study of a group of first-year IPSTs undertaking a non-assessed field experience, the concept of ‘transcultural’ is employed to understand the links between culture, place and identity that the cohort experience in the host education sites. This paper shows the emergence of how IPSTs understand how children learn and its connection with pedagogy as part of them becoming transcultural. While this study occurs before COVID-19, it argues for shared responsibility between universities, education sites and teachers to enable the transcultural meanings to be established within the field experience, thereby creating inclusive conditions central to IPSTs’ contribution to the existing cultural and linguistic diversities in education settings. This is even more vital under the changed circumstances of COVID-19.